November 2011

11/30/2011

This past weekend I was bedbound. The positive side to this was I was able to explore the wonderful world of Margaret Ooman... sigh...bliss...

I was led to her tutorial on crocheted stones at Purl Bee and away I went.

I ended up using a UK size 3.00 crochet hook and regular crochet cotton and it all worked fine...

She mentions that the process is a bit addicting, and I didn't want this ONE to be lonely (and I was laying in bed doing nothing after all)...

So then, there were TWO...

And suddenly a little friend came by for a visit...

And you know how you can never have too many friends....

Well, there ended up being a bit of a party on our piano bench (all stones behaved quite respectably - there were no innappropriate comments made about hook size, thread quality or colour combinations). In fact, it all went so well, I might consider having another in the future...

Let me know if you are inspired to have a party at yours (it is the festive season, after all)...

11/25/2011

These foxgloves seemed to appear out of nowhere - they're so creamy in their whiteness.

..much like our mushrooms which appear regularly in the night... fairies...

I've never successfully grown cucumbers before. Their taste fresh-picked from the garden is like nothing I've imagined! They have so many more levels of flavour and who'd of thought cucumbers have prickles all over them!

Beautiful yellow flowers just as the white daisies have had enough - wonderful

Parsley is peeking up under the corn

It was so windy the other day that the corn was begging for mercy. How wonderful that plants have the amazing ability to BEND!

Our first BIG tomato!

And the lettuce basket continues to be easily filled daily. I've grown some more directly from seed. That worked well until I transplanted them to "thin" the seedlings out. Bad idea - almost all that I transplanted wilted up from the hot sun over the next couple days. Next time I think I'll just leave them there and see what happens.

Pretty flowers peeking up fighting for space between the grass that seems to grow centimetres over night.

And strawberries!!!! Hopefully we get to some of them before the birds..

We've done some companion planting which seems to be working well. The basil is thriving with the tomatoes. My favourite idea is planting corn near the cucumbers to allow the cucumbers to grow up the corn! What a good idea!

How is your garden going? Have you got any tips for me? I'd love to hear them!

11/24/2011

One of the perks to living out where we do is the fresh fruit/food/flower stalls (the time of year determines what is available). Often a little box of goodies on the side of the road with an "honour box". The "honour box" allows you to take what you need and honour yourself and the community by paying what is due so that the farmers can go on about their daily responsibilities.

At the end of our shared driveway our neighbour sells her eggs for $3 dozen (what a deal! can you believe people can get FRESH FREE RANGE EGGS for $3 dozen ??!!!). Each morning she places a couple dozen into a box on her way to milk the cows at her family's dairy next door. She then collects the box in the arvo. Easy.

Well...not always. Evidentally, a couple of times people have taken liberties, aka taken eggs without paying (not even an IOU note!).

Really rotten, don't you think? Well, she did too and had enough....

You and I know you can't really call the police about having $6 worth of eggs stolen.

Rather than do nothing (as most would do), THIS was out in place of the eggs the other day...

And you know what?

I LOVE IT!

I love that she said enough is enough.

I love that those egg stealers had to drive past that sign for days (our road has a dead end, so anyone going past has to turn around and go past again to get out).

I love that she took action in her frustration. Didn't complain and whinge to others, but actually DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Because, $3 dozen eggs isn't really about the money at the end of the day...

$3 dozen eggs is about retaining COMMUNITY in times when COMMUNITY is so desperately lacking and so quickly disappearing.

$3 dozen eggs is about SHARING and FEEDING and PROVIDING and VALUEING (because everyone can afford $3 dozen).

$3 dozen eggs is about keeping it LOCAL (which means FRESHER which means full of NUTRIENTS which means HEALTHIER).

and you know what.... after that sign was up for a few days, it came down. She put her eggs back out.

11/23/2011

waving and laughing. It was a lovely sense of community... where strangers smile and wave to each other celebrating the moment of celebration. For that brief moment, everyone was a collective ball of happiness - one giant smile....

I send that big giant collective smile of lightness and love to YOU! Happy day!

11/22/2011

Went to the weekend markets this past Saturday for produce (truth, because it was the once a month poultry buy/swap/trade). A friend gave me a "hot tip" that some Wyandottes would be there. I've dreamt of the orange or gold laced kind.

Upon arrival, I found that I was too late and only white or silver laced male pullets were left and you know how I feel about having absolutely positively NO MORE ROOSTERS (I sound so chicken wise right now... don't be fooled, I'm fabulous at false impressions).

THEN... IT HAPPENED.

IT JUST HAPPENED....(yeah, right)

There he was. In a cage all ready to go..

and he was suddenly in my hands...

and then suddenly in my car!

and I was having all these crazy visions of cute little baby wyandottes (when his accompanying lady friend is big enough to mate with, that is) and there I was... THE LADY WHO OWNED TWO ROOSTERS!?!

WHAT HAPPENED?!

Even my own children said, "MUM!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"sorry?..." was my lone, meek reply.

For now, one rooster lives in one corner of our five acres and the other in the other corner...

11/21/2011

It's Monday morning... sweet monday... and it is sweet. However, is it wrong to have a SECOND cup of coffee before 8AM?

I think, on occassion, it's not wrong at all.

Learned this cool trick of putting a little bit of sugar ON TOP of the espresso before running it through. Tastes quite nice. You should have a try (plus, I secretly feel very barista-eee and cafe-cool when I do it).

Found these great containers to store my coffee and sugar in at Gail's vintage shop, Fox and Thomas. Makes the coffee ceremony that much more special.